Career Suicide
by Knights of Ancient Gaia
Summary: Piper never asked for much. She never asked for Jason to take time off as Praetor of New Rome just to go on a date with her. She never asked Annabeth to drop her dates with Percy and hang out with her. And she most definitely did not ask to be transported seventy years in the past with Leo and Nico at a school called Hogwarts. But that was just her luck, right?
1. Prologue

Prologue

Piper ran down the corridor, her breath coming in short gasps, her body feeling heavier and heavier with every step. Piper knew she had to keep going. If she stopped, _he_ would catch up, and she knew that any secrets she had left would be revealed. Her footsteps were hard against the marble floor, the click-clocks of her heeled flats were creating a fast-beating rhythm.

"Just a few more steps, just one more turn," she muttered, but she was too late.

As she turned the corner she came face-to-face with the person she was desperately trying to avoid.

"Piper," he whispered. His mouth curled into a twisted smirk. Piper closed her eyes in frustration and bit her bottom lip.

"Leave me alone, Tom," she said. Every word was exaggerated as Piper tried to emphasize her point. It was the first time in days since she had used her Charmspeak. Piper was desperate for any solution, and she was praying to any of the gods that were listening to help her out.

Tom let out an amused chuckle. Piper wanted to groan; it didn't work. The power of Aphrodite seemed to have no effect on Tom, he was simply unaffected by love.

"Did you really think you could 'Charmspeak' me, Mclean?" he asked. His smirk was growing bigger by the second.

Piper didn't answer.

"Well, then, there's only one thing left to do." Tom declared.

He reached into his robes and pulled out a long, slender wand. He raised it up, leaving it in line with Piper's heart. Piper's kaleidoscopic eyes widened as she realized she was helpless in her current situation.

"Tom please!" she cried out the same moment he coolly said, "Avada Kedavra."

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**Author's Note: I've had this idea in my head for awhile, so I decided to put it into words. This is just the prologue, so it's a little short, sorry! I hope you enjoyed this little prologue and you stick around for the rest of the story. I have the story written down, but my updates will depend on the time I have to type them up. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this little prologue. I'll post the official first chapter after I'm done editing it. Enjoy! (:**

**~ K.o.a.G**


	2. The Bearer of Good News

**Disclaimer: I don't think Rick Riordan or J.K Rowling write fan fiction.**

**My grammar isn't all too hot. I'm sorry. Author's notes will be at the end of the chapter from here-on. Enjoy.**

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Chapter one: The Bearer of Good News

It was an average day in Camp Half-Blood. Most of the campers were practicing their battle skills with their weapons of choice. Satyrs were out by the camp woods and the strawberry fields. Some of them played music to help the strawberries in their growing process while others chased the flirtatious tree nymphs. Dionysus and Chiron sat on the Big House deck; they were playing their usual game of pinochle. Watching their game with disinterested eyes was a daughter of Aphrodite, Piper McLean. Dionysus's eyes flickered to Piper in annoyance. All she did ever since she came back from the war was sit on the Big House steps and watch them play pinochle. It was starting to aggravate him.

"Pepper!" Mr. D snapped.

Piper looked up, startled. "Wha-" But she was quickly cut off by Mr. D.

"Leroy's sitting at the beach. Go talk to him."

Slowly, Piper stood up from where she was sitting. She warily watched Mr. D as he gave her his infamous glare, his dark eyes appearing purple.

"Did you mean Leo?" Mr. D groaned and Chiron's lips twitched. Mr. D hated remembering the campers' names, and he hated it even more when they corrected him on it.

"It's Piper by the way!" she shouted as she ran down the steps of the Big House. Chiron's faint chuckle was heard and she increased her steps in fear that Mr. D would turn her into a shrub.

She made it to the beach and saw a couple of other campers there. Her eyes roamed around until she saw the all-too familiar curly, black hair that belonged to Leo. Leo sat on the sand, watching as the waves crashed against the shore. His shoes were at his side, and he sat there wiggling his toes. Piper noticed that Leo was also clutching something in his hands. It looked ancient, old, and faded. It was the Archimedes Scrolls. She wanted to smile. He carried around those scrolls wherever he went.

There was a loud shriek of laughter from the other side of the beach and both Piper and Leo turned to look at the source of laughter. They saw some of Hermes' and Apollo's kids playing by the water's edge. The campers laughed as one of the Apollo girls strained her face in an attempt to evaporate the water in her hand with the sun's heat. Leo's laugh was heard from behind her as it became clear what the group was attempting to do. They wanted to see whether any of Apollo's kids were blessed with anything else besides healing and archery.

"Piper?" a voice called.

Piper turned around to face Leo. He was flashing a warm smile, but it didn't hide the shock on his face. Piper and Leo hadn't spoken much since returning back to camp. They acknowledged each other during passing moments; waved 'hi' to each other during the campfire sing-alongs, but they hadn't had a real conversation since the Giant War. Nothing was exactly easy after the war; it was gruesome to say the least. There had been casualties, a lot of casualties, and it had been particularly hard on Leo and Piper. They weren't used to war, of course they heard of it, but they'd never actually experienced it. The only thing they were used to was fighting monsters. The harsh reality of war hit them harder than they expected.

They won the war with the help of the gods, but the veterans were never able to forget the things they saw - especially the demigods that weren't around during the Titan War. Leo and Piper decided to stay distant from each other for a while. The time was needed to accept the things that happened, to find peace within them. During their separation Piper did miss Leo, but the time apart proved useful. She was better now, so was Leo. They were finally ready to talk with each other like old times.

A smile appeared on her face as she walked towards Leo's spot on the beach. Leo's eyes widened and he quickly made sure to move the scrolls out of the way to make sure that Piper didn't crush them. She plopped down on the ground next to him, sending sand everywhere.

"Sup, Leo," she greeted as she leaned back into the sand.

"Now, now, Beauty Queen," he started.

"Oh don't start with that!" she scolded, but she was laughing on the inside. She missed the old nickname.

There was a loud splash and they turned to see the campers jump into the water, a ring of laughter filling the air.

"Looks like they're having fun," Leo commented with an amused grin. "Watch me ruin it."

"Leo!" Piper protested, yet she stayed seated.

Leo sat up, rubbed the sand of his body, and handed Piper the Archimedes Scrolls. He gave her a wink and flashed his best grin as he walked towards the area where the group of demigods left their shoes. He stood there for a second or two, and then he let out a scream of anguish and set himself on fire. A gasped escaped Piper's mouth, but when she remembered that Leo could summon fire at will, she had to hold her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing and ruining Leo's plan.

"HOLY HEPHAESTUS!" a camper from the Hermes cabin, Lucas, shouted.

His companions turned to look at where he was pointing and they all screamed in terror as they saw Leo's body writhing on the floor while the flames surrounded him. They ran out of the water in frenzy, rushing towards Leo in a scared panic.

"Oh gods!" someone cried out.

They didn't seem to notice Piper yet, and she hoped that they didn't. She wasn't sure of what to say or how to act if they asked her how Leo caught fire. The group surrounded Leo, but they kept their distance, making sure not to catch fire or burn themselves.

"What do we do?" Kayla, a daughter of Apollo, asked.

"Do we drag him towards the water?" someone suggested.

"We won't be able to do that without burning ourselves!"

"Do we contact Chiron?" Lucas asked, wringing his hands in worry.

"What are we going to say?" Kayla asked.

In that moment Leo stopped moving. They campers seemed to notice and the group let in a collective gasp.

"Oh . . . no. . ." the girl who tried evaporating the water whispered.

Kayla wrapped her arms around her little sister's shoulders. What were they going to tell Chiron? How were they going to explain? They somberly stood over Leo, staring at his body with sad eyes, before something unexpected happened. The flames died down in an instant, any trace of there being fire completely vanishing.

"What the- ARGH!" Kayla shouted, with her peers, as Leo jumped up from the ground and yelled 'I LIVE!' to the sky.

"LEO!" Kayla angrily yelled, but there was relief in her eyes.

Losing all sense of control, Piper lost her little battle and let out a loud cry of laughter. The group, simultaneously, turned to her at the same time, unaware that there was someone else present. Lucas looked back and forth between Piper and Leo and a look of recognition dawned on his face. He joined Piper in laughter and slowly clapped his hands.

"That was good," he said as he pointed at Leo.

Leo bowed as if he were a performer. The Hermes' campers from the group clapped Leo on the back. Kayla, though, didn't seem to agree with Lucas and his siblings, and neither did her little sister.

"Uh, no it wasn't! It was not 'good'! I was really worried!"

"Aw, come on, Kayla," Piper interjected as she joined the group. "It was just Leo being Leo. He didn't mean any harm from it."

Kayla seemed visibly relaxed after Piper spoke to her. Leo raised his eyebrows at Piper. She was using her Charmspeak, which was odd since Piper usually didn't like using her Charmspeak unless they were in a desperate situation. Piper only smiled at Leo. Off in the distance, a horn was heard, signifying that it was time for dinner. The campers ran off to join their cabins. Some of the Hermes kids patted Leo on the back while Apollo's children glared at him as they passed. After they left, Leo and Piper broke into a fit of giggles and laughter.

"My gods, Leo! That was terrible!" Piper laughed out.

Leo only shrugged, "I try. Do you have the scrolls?"

Piper handed him the scrolls. They made their way towards the dining pavilion, parting ways once they made it inside. Leo walked towards the Hephaestus table and Piper sat down at the Aphrodite table. Her brothers and sisters were animatedly talking and chatting.

"Well, it looks like Miss Movie Star finally decided to show up," a sickly sweet voice jeered from across the table.

Piper looked up and came face-to-face with her half-sister Drew Tanaka. Drew gave Piper a look of feigned innocence; she twirled a strand of hair around her finger - not that she needed to curl her hair. It was already in perfect ringlets. Drew batted her eyes at Piper, daring her to say something back. Drew and piper didn't always get along. Ever since Piper took Drew's spot as the head counselor of Cabin #10, Drew had been even more deceptive and bitter towards Piper. Even after the war Drew's demeanor towards Piper didn't change a bit. In fact, Drew only treated piper like dumpster filth. Everyone else got a great amount of respect - even Leo.

"Sorry, Drew," Piper responded as she stood from to table to walk towards the hearth in the middle of the Mess Hall. "I actually had some friends to catch up with."

Drew clenched her fists under the table. Piper walked up to the hearth and offered her food to Aphrodite. Piper didn't really like fighting with Drew, but it proved difficult to actually try and befriend her. There was a loud gasp that went around the pavilion. Piper turned around to see everyone abruptly stand up from their seats and unsheathe their weapons. They all had a stiff composure as they pointed their weapons towards a dark shadow beginning to form on one of the stone pillars. Piper looked towards the Poseidon table and saw Percy Jackson devour his meal as he stared at the pillar in amusement. Mr. D and Chiron didn't seem to be all too bothered by it either. Mr. D sipped Diet Cola from his goblet in boredom; he watched the pillar with bored eyes. Chiron had quite the opposite reaction. He watched the campers with a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, like usual.

Finally someone stepped out from behind the pillar. The person sported a 1940s Aviator's jacket. He wore a silver skull ring on one of his fingers and strapped to his waist was a dark sword of rare Stygian iron. It was Nico di Angelo, with his unruly hair and baggy eyes. The demigods sighed in relief and went back to their dinner. Looking at her plate, Piper decided she wasn't so hungry, so she threw in the rest of her meal, offering it to Hestia this time. She saw Percy rise up from his table. He briskly made his way towards Nico. Annabeth, Percy's girlfriend and best friend, stood up from the Athena table, she followed Percy with a leisure pace. Piper decided to join the small group too.

"Hey!" she greeted as she got there.

Percy and Annabeth looked at her in surprise. She hadn't exactly spoken to them in a while. Nico also looked slightly shocked, but he wiped it off his face and he gave Piper a small grin.

"Hey, Piper! I was actually looking forward to talking with you," Nico said.

"Really?" Piper and Nico weren't exactly 'friends'. Sure, she'd spoken to him once or twice, but they usually -only- discussed camp activities.

Annabeth seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Piper. Her eyebrows were scrunched in confusion as she looked back and forth between them.

"Yeah," Nico said after a small silence. He was obviously oblivious to Annabeth's strong stare. "I just came back from Camp Jupiter."

This comment seemed to catch their attention. Annabeth stopped trying to find out the random friendship between Piper and Nico and gave Nico a quizzical stare. Percy straightened up his back; he put on his best mask of attentiveness.

"How is everyone?" Percy sounded far more eager than he looked.

"They're good- still coping with the fallen cohorts. Actually, they just finished remodeling the damage of the battle with the Anti-Neptune."

Annabeth's eyes lit up, "How does it look?"

A slight blush found its way into Nico's cheeks as Annabeth stared at him with wide, excited eyes. Percy smirked and Piper giggled. Nico seemed to get awkward around Annabeth.

"Um, it looks g-great," Nico stuttered out. He coughed, and, after he composed himself, looked directly at Annabeth, "The architecture is actually really good. They did an amazing job! You should see it sometime- I can take you!"

Percy questionably raised an eyebrow, "Are you trying to ask my girlfriend out on a date?"

Percy gave Nico a joking smile and Nico's blush got more prominent.

"Consider it a date, Nico. Just don't tell Percy." Annabeth put a finger over her lips in a secretive fashion.

Percy glanced around the pavilion, pretending that he didn't hear Annabeth just finalize a date. Nico looked like he wanted to die. His cheeks were beet red and his lips were pressed tight together.

"Sup guys!" Leo greeted as he walked towards them. "Nico! You're back! My gods, you look like you just climbed out of the fiery pits of Hades!"

Nico muttered a small curse in Ancient Greek. Percy, Annabeth, and Piper let out a laugh.

"Well, I'm heading off," Percy announced. "See you guys at the sing-along if you decide to go."

Annabeth stayed behind for a while longer. She apologized to Nico and his blush came running right back. They stayed and chatted with her for a while before she soon joined her cabin at the campfire. As soon as she was out of range, Piper turned to Nico.

"You said you wanted to talk to me?" she asked Nico.

Nico coughed again, the red on his cheeks slowly fading back out again.

"Yeah, umm, I spoke with Jason," Nico announced.

Piper's breath caught in her throat and Leo let out a silent sniff beside her. They hadn't spoken to Jason in a long while. Right after the war ended he ran straight for Camp Jupiter to keep it under control. Someone had to, considering Reyna's unfortunate death during the Giant War. A few weeks after his leaving, he sent Piper an Iris Message explaining to her that he regained his old position as Praetor of New Rome. That was the last time she spoke to him. She didn't know whether or not Leo had spoken to Jason recently, or at all.

Nico, sensing the awkward shift in air, spoke up, "Yeah, um, he caught me off guard. I was walking with Hazel and he just_ tackled me_. Well, not tackle, but you get my point. Anyways, he kept apologizing and apologizing and kept asking me for a way to get him in contact with you two. He really, _really_ wants to see you guys," he gave them a small smile. "He hopes to hang out with you soon."

A broad grin found its way to Leo's mouth just at the same time Piper felt a swarm of butterflies in her stomach.

"When?" Leo asked.

"Soon." was Nico's reply. "He still has Praetor duties, that's why he's been so busy."

The last comment was obviously directed towards Piper whose were cheeks were maroon.

"Aw man! This is the best! Maybe we can visit Camp Jupiter and just chill there for a while?" Leo suggested.

"How will we get there?" Piper asked.

"I can shadow travel you guys over there," Nico suggested, shrugging his thin shoulders.

"Are you sure, man?" there was an uneasiness in Leo's voice. Leo had obviously heard about shadow traveling, but the stories weren't the most encouraging words to reach his ears. According to Percy, the feeling of shadow travel was like going so fast it felt as if your face was going to peel off. Fun.

"Yeah, it's okay. I didn't really get to finish talking with Hazel, it'll be fine."

Piper's eyes danced with happiness as she pulled Nico into a hug, "Thank you so much!" she repeated over, and over, and over. She released him after saying 'thank you' for the twentieth time. Nico was scarlet red with embarrassment.

"No problem," he muttered, "I think I'm going to head out to my cabin now. See you guys tomorrow."

He walked off to his cabin with his hands deep in his pockets and his head ducked down.

"Well, that was eventful," Leo whispered softly to himself. "Wanna go to the sing along?"

With one last smile, they linked elbows and made their way to the campfire, joking about their earliest memories. It was moments like these that Piper truly cherished.

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**Author's note: oh my gods I am so sorry for the big delay. I was honestly busy editing and re-editing this chapter. This chapter is pretty slow, but it's the beginning of the story and I don't really like rushing into the action. Not my drift. I know the prank Leo played was a little harsh- okay, it was horrible. It was much funnier in my head. Anyways, we caught a glimpse of Nico in this chapter. Since Mark of Athena didn't really give a lot of insight into Nico's character, I sort of stuck with the faze he went through in Battle of the Labyrinth. He's a little childish here, but I've always liked awkward, childish, fanboy Nico. I hope you enjoy. I'm currently in the process of writing chapter two! Thank you for reading and reviewing I honestly appreciate it. If you have any questions just leave them in a review or message me. Thank you all once again! (:**

**p.s: I am currently searching for a BETA. Please message me if you're interested! Thank you all once again!**

**~ K.o.a.G**


	3. San Francisco Bound

**Disclaimer: Do I even need a disclaimer? But yeah, I don't own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson. **

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Chapter two: San Francisco Bound

Piper didn't know where she was. She was walking down a long staircase, her steps echoed off the walls as she made her way towards a dungeon-like corridor. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion _where was she_? A raspy whisper filled the halls and two loud pairs of footsteps echoed off the walls.

"Is it ready?" the raspy voice asked. It was female.

"Not yet," the voice that replied was male. The footsteps got louder and louder. Piper hid in the shadows as the duo came into view.

To say the man was tall for a mortal was an understatement. He towered over the woman who was about Piper's height. His face was sunken in, he had horrible scars all over his cheeks, his body was unhealthily thin, and his skin was sickly pale. His hair was a pale, greasy blonde shade and it fell over his face like a curtain. Strange robes surrounded his body and in his hand he clutched a rather short stick.

"Well _hurry up_." The woman hissed. Unlike her companion the woman was impossibly beautiful (for a mortal) and her skin was a warm shade of brown. She held herself with an air of confidence. Her chin was lifted up as if she was a superior being and her slightly upturned nose gave her a completed look of power. The woman had voluminous locks of honey brown hair and her eyes were a shocking shade of amber brown. Piper's self-confidence wavered as she laid eyes on the lady.

"I'm sorry for the delay," he didn't sound sorry at all. "But I fear we've had more important things to deal with than your _woes_."

The comment seemed to stun the woman. She stopped walking abruptly. This, however, went unnoticed by the man who continued walking and talking.

"What say you, milady?" the man asked. By then he noticed that she was no longer following him. He turned to question her, but the moment he made direct eye contact with her he writhed to the floor in agony.

"How _dare_ you speak to_ me_ in that way?" the lady said in a horrifyingly calm voice. "I will not be spoken to in such a degrading manner-" she fanned her face as her voice got louder and her body shook in a rage. "_I am your creator_! You were born from my thoughts and I can—and will—destroy you if you _ever_ look down upon me ever again!"

The man, released from his silent torture, nodded in understanding. The woman pursed her lips and walked past by where he still lay on the floor. She made sure to whisper one word before she disappeared from Piper's vision. The man stiffened, obviously offended by whatever the lady said, and slowly stood up and grudgingly followed her out.

When Piper turned to follow, she found herself in a completely different room. The room was small, cozy, and warm. It didn't look all too fancy and the walls were painted a soft, pink color. Decorating the walls were different shelves of collectable china glass plates. Each plate had a different rose designed onto it. Across the room from Piper there was a small, round coffee table with a tea set and a plate of lemon bars. A delicate hand reached in and grabbed a lemon bar. Piper looked up and saw her mother, Aphrodite, seated in a comfortable looking loveseat. Aphrodite smiled at Piper, and she noted that her appearance wasn't changing as it usually did. Nevertheless, Aphrodite still looked exceedingly beautiful. She had her hair pinned up and curled in a fashion similar to the 1940s and she wore a simple pink and black dress.

"Mom? What's going on?" Piper questioned.

Aphrodite took a bite out of the lemon bar and set it on a small napkin in her lap. She raised a finger towards Piper, signaling for her to give her a minute, and then she spoke, "Not yet, I'm not your mother yet, but I'll still accept it."

Piper gave Aphrodite a look of worry and confusion, "Mom, are you okay? It's me Piper, what are you talking about?"

"Shh, dear, my time is running up and I still haven't told you what you need to know."

Piper opened her mouth to ask another question, but Aphrodite cut her off, "I'm sorry, but you need to know this. Something really big and really dark is heading your way. You must be weary, Piper. Be careful when you make your visit to Camp Jupiter. Tell your friend, the son of Hades, to make a couple of test runs before he takes you guys to the Roman camp. I don't know whether this is warning enough, but _please_ be careful. I fear that you'll have a very dark future if you're not."

This didn't sound like Aphrodite at all. Her voice was too worrisome, scared even. She gave Piper a lost look. This definitely wasn't the Aphrodite Piper remembered. And what did she mean when she said she wasn't Piper's mother yet? Then it all clicked together in one single moment: the style, the décor of the room, Aphrodite's tone of speaking—this wasn't Piper's mother.

"You-you're from the past!" Piper took a couple of steps back. "But how are—is this even—what?"

"Piper, I can't explain this all to you right now, and I hope I don't get the chance to, but please heed this warning: steer clear of the Wolf Mother."

"What's a 'Wolf Mother'?" Piper shouted, but it was too late. The room started losing its focus, the walls were fading. Piper was waking up. Aphrodite gave her a small wave and Piper opened her eyes. She was in her bunk in the Aphrodite cabin. There was small chattering around the room as everyone got ready for their day.

Piper sat up in a daze. Demigod dreams were confusing, but this dream felt like a trip gone wrong. So many things happened and so many questions started forming in Piper's head. Who were the people in her first dream? What relevance did they have to Piper? And lastly, who was the person Aphrodite from the past warned her about? The Wolf Mother, Piper never remembered hearing anything about a wolf mother. Was this a new monster? Piper's head swarmed with different thoughts and possibilities, she was starting to get a headache and she barely got out of bed.

"Bad dream?" someone asked from her right. The person had a French accent. Piper tuned to face the person. It was one of the girls that were claimed at the campfire sing-along last night. Piper forgot her name, but her eyes widened as she took in the girl's appearance. She looked similar to the woman she saw in her dreams. The girl had the same skin tone and voluminous honey brown locks. She also had the same eye color, which shocked Piper even more. The only difference Piper found was their voices. The dream lady's voice was raspy, as if there forks scratching against her throat, and her sister's was silky and smooth, and she also had a French accent.

"Yeah," Piper replied, "yeah it was a restless night."

The girl nodded, "I hate those dreams. My name's Fiona, by the way. Fiona Chronis."

They shook hands and the girl quickly turned around and ran outside the cabin. _Steer clear of the Wolf Mother._ Aphrodite's warning echoed around her head.

"It's time for cabin inspections." Drew's voice interrupted Piper's thoughts. She looked up and Drew shoved a clipboard into Piper's hands. "Get ready."

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After cabin inspections with Drew, Piper skipped breakfast and made her way to the Big House. Upon catching sight of her, Mr. D let out an annoyed cough. Chiron greeted Piper with a small wave. She took her usual spot on the steps and watched them as they played pinochle. That's when she noticed someone sitting next to Mr. D.

The person was a boy, probably a teenager. He had sandy blonde hair and blue eyes the color of the sky, he was giving Dionysus a cocky smile, as if he knew something that both Chiron and Mr. D didn't. He was also extremely attractive, and Piper could only guess one thing.

"Lord Apollo?" she called out.

Apollo turned to her and gave her a bright smile. It was literally a bright smile. Piper had to squint as she looked at him.

"Piper Mclean! How are you?"

"I'm-" Piper didn't finish answering his question. It seemed as if she was repeatedly getting cut off by gods.

"That's great, Piper! Have you, by any chance, seen Rachel?" Apollo queried, he was still smiling and all Piper wanted to do was to wipe the grin off his face.

"I think she's at the Mess Hall. Today's her last day at camp before school goes back in," explained Piper.

"Thanks, and I have one final question, do you happen to know where Fiona Chronis is?"

Piper choked on her own spit. Had Fiona already done something to offend the gods?

"Um, I think she's also at the Mess Hall," Piper answered.

"Perfect. Gratzi!" he said and he walked away from the group. Just as he left someone else with blonde hair walked by, but this person's hair was curled like a princess. It was Annabeth. She walked in front of the Big House and stopped as she saw Piper.

"Ah, so this is where you've been hiding," Piper looked up and came face-to-face with the daughter of Athena.

Just like with Leo, Piper hadn't spoken to Annabeth in a long time. Last night at the pavilion was the first time Piper had actually talked to her, and the only word she muttered to her was 'hey'. It made Piper feel sad and selfish. Annabeth had lived through two wars and fell into Tartarus, yet she was still able to get back on her own two feet. Piper felt small and weak compared to that. Annabeth seemed to notice the guilty expression on Piper's face and grabbed a hold of her hand.

"Piper, don't be so discouraged. I know how hard the war was for you. You were barely getting used to being a demigod! I understand your distance. Percy understands. Jason understands. But Piper, we can't let this get to us."

Annabeth and Piper glanced back to see if Chiron and Dionysus were listening only two find two empty chairs and an empty table. Piper was slightly pleased that they retreated indoors because tears started forming in her eyes.

"I don't mean to sound vain when I say this, but please don't compare your war reaction to mine. Truth is, Piper, I still have n-nightmares about T-t-tartarus." Annabeth's voice cracked and for the first time in months, Piper noticed her friend's appearance. Her eyes were somber and heavy burdened –broken even. Her bottom was slightly quivering and Piper noticed a faint scar that ran from the bottom of her left ear all the way towards her collarbone. A feeling of anguish rushed through Piper for failing to notice that Annabeth was broken too.

"Annabeth," she whispered. But Annabeth was staring at the ground in front of them and forced back some tears. She flashed Piper a crooked grin.

"Piper," she started, "I just want to let you know that you're my friend, and I care about you, and I don't know how exactly you're going through with this, but I understand. People _died,_ _a lot _of people died. This was a gruesome war, and you have every right to be sad, angry, and des-despondent?" Piper grinned at Annabeth's trouble saying the word despondent. Many people seemed to forget that Annabeth was dyslexic too.

Annabeth grinned at Piper, "I guess what I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't have to feel alone. If you ever want someone to talk to, I'm here. And so is Percy."

Overcome with emotion, Piper threw her arms around her friend. She wanted to say so many things at once, but the words caught in her throat and her eyes welled with tears. They stayed like that for a few more seconds before breaking apart and laughing. They looked out at the vast valley of Camp Half-Blood and saw the approaching figures of Nico DiAngelo and Leo Valdez.

"Thought you would be here," Nico greeted as he stuffed his hands in the pockets of the dark trench coat he was currently wearing. He noticed Annabeth and greeted her with a small wave. He was obviously still abashed because of last night. The two girls stood up from the steps and walked over to them.

Annabeth eyed them all, then announced, "Well, now that you guys are here, I have an announcement to make."

"What is it?" Leo asked as he fidgeted with something in his hands.

Annabeth looked at all their faces and said, "I'm going on a quest to San Francisco. I-I'm going to go see my father. I haven't seen him since everything happened. I think this will be good for me."

Piper was slightly shocked to hear this.

"When are you leaving?" Nico asked.

"In two weeks, when Percy heads back to Manhattan for school."

"With who?"

"My brother Malcolm," Annabeth smiled.

Nico nodded, "Good luck. I hope your quest is successful."

"I'll be sure to visit Camp Jupiter and check out the architecture," she laughed out.

Nico's face got slightly red. Leo and Piper wished Annabeth good luck and took off to go teach the Ancient Greek class. They all stared at Annabeth's retreating figure for a bit before they all turned to face each other.

"Alright, so Camp Jupiter," Piper shushed Leo and wildly gestured her hands towards the Big House. The boys understood immediately. They made their way down Half-Blood Hill towards the strawberry fields. When they felt that they were a good distance away from the Big House, they started talking.

"Alright," Leo started again. "So Camp Jupiter?"

"We can't go today, obviously. I think it would be a little too suspicious." Nico said. His hands were stuffed in the pockets of his trench coat and he aimlessly kicked the ground.

They discussed when to get to the camp in San Francisco and Piper started to feel a nagging feeling. She suddenly remembered her dream. _Steer clear of the Wolf Mother_. Something didn't feel right as they stood there planning their trip. It felt rushed somehow. _Tell your friend, the son of Hades, to make a couple of test runs before he takes you guys to the Roman camp. _Aphrodite's warnings were swarming around in her head. Something bad was going to happen.

"Piper? Piper, are you okay?" Leo's voice broke through her thoughts.

"Huh?" Leo cast a worried glance in her direction." Oh, yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just. . . nervous. We haven't seen Jason in a while."

It was the partial truth. She noticed that Nico was giving her a doubtful stare.

"Anyways, I think it would be best if we just head straight to Camp Jupiter tomorrow morning. That way we can get back right in time before lunch and just say we were, um, exploring the area?" Nico sounded unsure of the excuse.

Leo nodded his head, "That sounds cool. We could come up with a better excuse though."

Nico rolled his eyes.

Piper coughed, getting the attention of the two demigods before her, "I –shouldn't we make a practice run?" she shrugged her shoulders in a nonchalant manner, but she saw the effect of her words on Nico. He looked offended and glared at Piper. He obviously didn't like what Piper seemed to be implying. Piper gulped. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have shown such fear, but Nico's mood swings were terrible and unpredictable. She didn't know him before he ventured into Tartarus, so she couldn't tell if Nico was like that before, but his strange constant shift in moods was something that always put Piper on edge around him. It was the reason why they were the best of friends, and why Annabeth was shocked that Nico and Piper seemed to have developed a strange relationship last night.

"Are you trying to say I'm not sufficient enough in shadow travelling that we have to make _practice runs_?" he asked Piper. His voice sounded both hurt and angry. A feeling of dread washed over Piper and she wished he could go back to being the awkward kid he was last night at the pavilion.

"No, Nico!" Piper tried to reason. "I just –I just have this feeling, okay? I'm not saying that I don't trust you!"

Piper was seriously contemplating on charmspeaking Nico to calm down, but then she saw Leo nodding his head in agreement.

"I think I'm going to side with Piper on this one." Leo said. Nico opened his mouth to say something, but Leo cut him off. "It's nothing personal, Nico. It's just that we've never been shadow travelling before, and I kind of want to see what we're getting into."

Nico looked fairly angry at the both of them. Obviously, he didn't like the idea that someone doubted him.

"Fine," he snapped. He pulled his trench coat tighter around his body and glared at the strawberries as if they personally offended him.

Piper wanted to feel relieved, but the only thing she felt at the moment was more dread. Leo gave Nico a side glance, then, to no one in particular, asked, "When should we, umm, practice?"

Nico grunted and have Piper an expectant glare.

"Tonight," she avoided the son of Hades' glare, "after the sing along. Let's meet in the woods."

Leo nodded in response. Nico only sniffed. Piper started to feel even worse then.

"Nico-"

"Forget it!" he hissed as he cut her off. She tried to reason with him once again, but he didn't give her the time of day. With a resigned sniff, he stomped away from the group towards the cabins.

Piper gave Leo a helpless look.

"Well that went marvelous!"

"Yup, want a tic-tac?" Leo asked Piper as he pulled a box of tic-tacs from his tool belt.

Piper snorted, despite the gloominess she felt inside. Then she decided to just spill everything out to Leo. She told him about her dream about the man and the lady, and how the lady looked like Fiona. She told him about her encounter with Apollo. And she told him about how Aphrodite from the past visited her in her dreams.

"Wait," Leo put his hands up as he tried to piece everything together. "So you're telling me that Aphrodite from the _1940s_ visited you in a dream?"

Piper nodded.

"That is . . . trippy. And who's this Wolf Mother? Is it the lady from your first dream?" Leo asked.

Piper shook her head, "I don't know. The man treated her as if she was just an accessory, but he was also really scared of her."

"Do you think maybe the Wolf Mother could be, I don't know, Lupa?"

"No. I actually didn't think of that, and I kind of don't want to dig deeper into this. It was just a dream."

"Piper, we're demigods, nothing is _just a dream._" Leo said, pointing a long finger at Piper.

Piper only shrugged, "It's just really weird, okay? The fact that she looks exactly like Fiona unnerves me a lot too; I think I'll just talk about it with Chiron later."

Leo didn't look too pleased with Piper's response, but he still nodded his head. They stood there for a silent amount of time before Leo spoke up again.

"I think I'm going to head back to my cabin. I want to see if those scrolls and that sphere are still alive. See you tonight, Piper!"

He left Piper standing there besides the strawberries. With a resigned sigh, she also headed back to her cabin, oblivious to the fact there was someone else in the field with her and that the entire conversation with Leo and Nico was overheard.

* * *

**A/N: sorry I took so long to update. I had finals week and then I was busy editing and reediting this chapter. As I said before, the story is going to start off slow. Anyways have you guys seen the preview for the new Sea of Monsters movie? I'm really excited for it! What about that new House of Hades preview? Ahh, so many things at once! Haha, well thank you for reading and reviewing! And thank you to EmptyThoughts for offering to be my beta reader. I really look forward to future betaing! Any mistakes you see here I am blaming solely on the fact that I'm updating with my iPod. Haha.**

**Enjoy!**

**~K.o.a.G (:**


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